Vermont Department of Housing & Community Development Opportunity Zones Josh Hanford Deputy Commissioner Vermont Department of Housing & Community Development

In February 2018, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) began the following public input process regarding Opportunity Zones: Parties provide input on census tract selection, including adjoining non-NMTC census tracts: February 14, 2018 The Agency publishes a draft recommendation on the web at accd.Vermont.gov/OpportunityZones: February 23, 2018 Parties provide feedback on the draft recommendation: March 6, 2018 The Agency publishes a final draft recommendation on the web at accd.Vermont.gov/OpportunityZones: March 9, 2018 Parties provide feedback on the final draft: March 16, 2018 ACCD worked with communities, development organizations and other stakeholders to narrow the list of more than 100 federally-recognized eligible census tracts down to the 25 recommended by the Governor. The Agency evaluated poverty and unemployment rates, population counts, the number of businesses and private sector jobs, available infrastructure, state designation program participation and development potential of each tract before making recommendations.

Vermont’s Opportunity Zones: Vermont’s Methodology The Agency used both 2011-2015 American Community Survey data and 2016 ACS data to inform decisions (in addition to geographic equity): Poverty Rates Unemployment Rates Population Counts Number of Businesses Number of Private Sector jobs Available Infrastructure State Designation Programs Public Comment Barre City (southwest of Main Street) Rockingham (Bellows Falls) Bennington (downtown and north) Royalton Rutland City (downtown core, west, and south) Brattleboro (downtown) Burlington (waterfront, Pine Street Corridor, downtown) St. Albans City (west of Main Street) St. Johnsbury Johnson South Burlington including City Center Lyndon (downtown Lyndonville and West of Broad and Main Street Springfield Vergennes Newport City Winooski Randolph VT designated the max number of zones allowed by statue: Geographic Diversity (12 of 14 counties) 17 different communities 85,000 Vermonters 18,000 people below the federal poverty line 7,470 businesses https://vcgi.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Styler/index.html?appid=67893e0aa46941a79ed9e839a27a424e

What Role can State CDBG Programs play in Opportunity Zones? “Just four states—California, Colorado, Idaho, and Vermont—simultaneously met the four dimensions of inclusivity and transparency: (1) Published a dedicated web site (2) Asked for structured input from the general public (3) Published at least a link to the eligible census tracts from which their governor was choosing (4) Published their governor’s final choices recommended to Treasury.” - “Maximizing the impact of new Opportunity Zones requires transparency and citizen engagement” Anthony Pipa, Brookings Institute, April 16, 2018 Engage local Opportunity Zone citizenry and leadership? Provide leadership and technical assistance to “fund creators”? Create complimentary state policy and incentives to maximize impact? Provide data and tools to municipal leaders within Opportunity Zones? Measure investment and track success (or failure)? How Do We… Make the most out of Opportunity Zones? What Role can State CDBG Programs play in Opportunity Zones? More resources on Opportunity Zones can be found on our website at http://accd.vermont.gov/OpportunityZones